The Slow Writing Movement

The art of slow writing to bring deeper meaning to your craft

Jul 26, 2023

Welcome to the Slow Writing Movement: A transformative journey to deepen your connection to your craft and bring more meaning to your writing.

Join me in exploring the power of mindful writing to help you develop a profound connection with your words, yourself, and the world around you.

Discover the art of slow writing: Uncover the magic of writing with focused intention on the craft and infusing your work with love, compassion, and empathy.
Craft with intention: Get ideas, prompts and writing exercises focused on creating stories and characters that resonate deeply with both you and your readers. As well as posts focused on memoir writing.
Inspiring ideas: Read thought-provoking personal essays and book and film recommendations that can ignite your creativity and enrich your writing practice and mindful life.
Join a supportive community: Connect with fellow writers who want to take the time to dig deep into the craft to find their true voice, message, and best way to bring their words to the world.
Unlock premium benefits: As a paid subscriber, get a Mindful Writing ebook of ideas, writing prompts and inspiration to help you write more mindfully; access private Chat threads to connect with other writers; and join the monthly Mindful Writing Marathons.

When you join the Slow Writing Movement, you can experience a more meaningful connection to your craft, yourself and everyone and everything you’re sharing this experience of being human with. Here's how:

Deeper craft development: Slow writing encourages you to focus on the ‘why’ of your writing and the depth of characters rather than rushing through the process. By taking your time, you can hone your skills, refine your technique, and pay attention to the nuances of language, style, and structure. This connection to your craft allows you to create writing with more layers and depth.
Meaningful self-expression: Taking things slowly provides an opportunity for authenticity in your writing. By slowing down and reflecting on your thoughts, feelings, and experiences, you can articulate them in a more deliberate and meaningful way. This leads to writing that is genuine and honest that resonates with both you and your readers.
Self-discovery: Through slow writing, you can embark on a journey of self-discovery. By immersing yourself in the writing process, you can uncover hidden insights, explore different perspectives, and gain a deeper understanding of yourself and your craft. This self-reflection can be both enlightening and transformative, allowing you to grow as a writer and as a person.
Enhanced creativity: Slowing down the writing process can ignite your creativity in new and exciting ways. By giving yourself the time and space to explore ideas, experiment with different techniques, and follow your creative instincts, you can unlock many innovative and imaginative possibilities. This deeper connection to your creativity can lead to fresh and original work that you love writing and others love reading.

Ready to go on a journey of creativity, mindfulness, and personal growth?

Who am I?

I’m Amanda Saint, a writer, editor, teacher and publisher from the UK who moves around a lot. I’m the author of three books so far — two novels, As If I Were A River (2016) and Remember Tomorrow (2019), and a novella-in-flash, Pressure Drop (2024). I’m currently working on whole host of short stories that are at various stages of development, and my third novel.

At my creative venture, Retreat West, which I started in 2012, I run an online community for writers, design and teach online courses and workshops, and provide editorial services. I also published books — in 2020 Retreat West was named Most Innovative Publisher at the Saboteur Awards (shortlisted 2019) and I published the last book in July 2023. In 2022, I founded an online literary journal, West Word.

I have been practicing mindfulness for almost a decade now and it changed my life. I also have a daily qigong practice, which I have been committed to for several years now.

All of these things inform how the Slow Writing Movement is developing. It’s a work in progress! If you’d like to join, it would be great to have you along.

With love,